The Forgotten Realms
by pnlrogue1
Summary: A story about a group of young adventurers setting out to make a name for themselves in the Forgotten Realms. I have now added chapter 2 and a bit more to chapter 1 introducing another merry fellow!
1. Default Chapter

Gather round, adventurers, and let me tell you a tale: A tale of friends, of sacrifice and of honour

Let me tell you of those who saved this land and all who dwell within it from tyranny and from suffering, from a ruler who's evil cannot begin to be measured

Let me tell you of the land of Faerûn and of a small band of heroes, without whom, we'd likely have never been born…

"The weapons are nearly ready, master" grunted the gruff voice

            "Excellent work, Brutus, you serve me well. There is a firm place for you by my side when I take over the lands" replied the old man, without turning from the window

            "I live to serve" replied the beast as it stood in the doorway, waiting for it's next order

            The old man took a deep breath of midnight air and turned his wizened face to the Minotaur standing in the shadows. His grey beard and bald head silhouetted by the moonlight streaming in from the glassless window behind him. "Has the Red Wizard returned?"

            "Yes my lord, he awaits your command in the courtyard, below"

            "Hmm, that must have been who I saw arrive earlier, then" 

            "Indeed, my lord. What would you have me tell him?"

            "He may have a night's rest. I wish to see him at dawn in this room, though. You may also retire for the night – I will not need you unless, there are any other messages?"

            "Only those that I have told you, my lord"

            "Very well then" he said, casually, as he turned back to the window. "Upon second thought, have the Master Runecaster come to me, then you may retire. You may go"

            "At once, my lord. Thank you, my lord" grunted the Minotaur as it turned and went back out of the door and thumped its way down the stone stairs

            "It is nearly ready…" whispered the man as he smiled. "Nearly ready…"


	2. Chapter 1

It began on a warm, spring morning in the infamous city of Neverwinter in the North Sword Coast

                Not a year before, a vile plague, known as the Wailing Death, had swept the city and killed all but a small portion of the population and the betrayal of one of those closest to Lord Nasher saw the new recruits at the famous Neverwinter Academy, who were being trained to find the cause of the plague and put an end to it, lost with them

                The plague was cured and those who sought to destroy the city were killed by the same man, now hailed as a hero by all those of Neverwinter and much of the remainder of the northern Sword Coast region of Faerûn

                Two friends who had just left the newly re-built Neverwinter Academy, under the tuition of the same hero who saved the city the first time, met outside of the Halls Of Justice in the City Core to decide on where to begin their quest for the greater good of all those of the land of Faerûn…

"Riana, where are you?" muttered the young, dark-haired man as he watched at the deserted streets before him. Having turned 18 a few months before the academy was re-opened, Phoenix had decided to join the academy's number as soon as there was an academy to join!

            His loose, black and red clothes swayed gently as he looked around to try and see his friend among the crowds that had been growing in size for over a year and were almost back to the way they were the day the Wailing Death struck. The black and red shirt and black trousers, combined with his black, wild hair affected the appearance of a rogue or thief that couldn't be much further than the truth – this young man was, after all, a wizard who had sworn to protect and uphold those who worked for the good of all and the clothes he wore were simply his preferred choice of armour (the shirt had the ability to block fire and the trousers went with his hair, so you couldn't really blame him…)

            As he looked around, he spotted the tell-tale signs of his friend across the street – a large crowd had gathered around a man who had been begging for money so he could visit a healer to help him heal the leg he nearly lost when Luskan attacked Neverwinter when their plague had failed

            There was a hushed silence from the crowd, followed by a huge cheer as onlookers began clapping and shouting praises to several of the Gods at the sight they had just born witness to

            As the crowd parted and began to dissipate (the guards that had been sent to disperse them had finally remembered that they weren't there to watch the show), Phoenix made out the familiar face of his friend, Riana, crossing the street from the throng of people, clearly doing her level-best to keep a grin from her face

She failed, as usual…

"I take it that the crowd was watching you" said Phoenix as she drew nearer

"Are you implying that I, Riana Glitterdale, would ever, purposely, cause a spectacle by using Tyr's powers of healing on a sick, wounded man?" she replied in a voice of mock indignation

"I am a wizard of Neverwinter, I never imply, I flat out SAY it!" he joked, causing them both to chuckle. "Where have you been, young Paladin?"

"Well, my Mum wanted to wish me goodbye, then my Dad, then my Gran'ma, then Julius did something I'll never forgive him for – he said he'd miss me…" she said as a tear came to her eye

"Jules said he'd miss you?! Your younger brother actually _cares_ about you?!" replied Phoenix, in surprise

"Uh-huh, the whole family broke down and cried at that" she said as her voice broke and a few more tears ran down her cheek. "I'm gonna miss them so much" she said as she grabbed Phoenix and hugged him, tightly

"You know, you could stay here if you want, with your family. I'm sure that the Temple of Tyr in the Beggar's Nest would be able to find a place for you in their order" he said, returning the hug

"No, no, it's right for me to go – we've both wanted this since before we joined the Academy, and now we're ready to go and our goodbyes are said, it's time" she said as she finally released him. They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds – it was no secret that they had been found kissing on more than one occasion, but both didn't want their friendship ruined, so Phoenix had claimed that he was merely practicing a Charm Person spell ("He's getting really good at them" claimed Riana, each time) – before looking away and taking a step back, nervously

Riana cleared her throat and took a deep breath before turning to her friend and saying what he had been trying to say since she had come over from helping that man: "I think we should be going then"

Taking her, gauntleted hand in his, weapons slung on their belts or backs and backpacks on their shoulders, the two friends walked to the corner, turned and marched towards the large gate as a familiar face watched them from the Halls of Justice, behind them

"It seems like so long ago that I graduated the Academy, myself" muttered Josan, as he watched the pair leave under the gates of the city and march South, towards the city of Waterdeep and to the remainder of the Sword Coast, beyond that

"As I recall, you were the last person to graduate before them, over a year ago" said his friend, who was watching from the next window along

"Graduate? I was the last person to _survive_ until they came along!"

"Yes, but there was a minor intervention by those false Clerics of Helm that resulted in a few casualties…"

"True, but it was only the beginning, as you know"

"How could I forget?"

Josan gave a heavy sigh before turning to his friend, Aribeth, another of the heroes who helped the city during the plague, though she almost turned traitor and ended Josan's valiant attempt so close to its completion "Come, my love, it is time we returned to the Academy: Just because they are out and fighting the good fight, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't see to it that there aren't more of them out there to help out"

Aribeth smiled and kissed the young Ranger before her before they both turned and left the room, as Phoenix and Riana finally disappeared into the throng of merchants moving towards the larger city of Waterdeep, along the Tradeway to the city of Baldur's Gate, beyond

[Wake up, animal-friend] came the warm, familiar voice in his head [Please awake, there is need for your assistance] it added, more instantly

            The Elf's eyes slowly opened as he breathed deeply the air of the woods – it was a warm morning with not a hint of rain. He looked over to where the stag stood, proud and unafraid, before him. "How may I be of assistance?" he asked it

            [There are Kobolds moving through the forest. They appear to be looking for something in particular. They keep muttering something about 'find the dark metal for master'] it replied, unmoving

            "Dark metal? They must mean Adamantite, but what do Kobolds want with that? They lack the technology to work it"

            [Whatever their cause, they are tearing apart any plants and murdering any animals that are unfortunate enough to be in their way]

            "How many are they?"

            [Only 10. Gillian is already on his way there but he has asked your assistance]

            "Show me the way" Harbreth stood and stretched his arms then, taking a deep breath, he opened his mind to the earth below him, the trees around him and the air betwixt them and felt their energies flowing through him and, raising his arms, he called upon them to assist him this day. There was a roar of energy as a beam of light erupted in front of him. As the light faded, a creature remained in its place with the stature and appearance of a wolf, but red eyes and small, orange plated on parts of its back and as it turned to him, the Dire Wolf emitted a growl that was at once unearthly and similar to a wolfs cry

            [I have come as you asked, Druid. How are we protecting the forest this day?] it asked

            "We have a battle to fight, my friend" he replied as stag, elf and wolf left the clearing in the heart of Neverwinter Wood and moved East towards the beasts who would threaten the forest

These things don't have a clue! he thought, as he watched the small creatures tearing their way through the forest. Occasionally, they would stop and examine a small rock, sometimes looking at it, sometimes sniffing it, sometimes hitting it and sometimes - in rare cases - biting it (though this usually resulted in a few moments of pain and anger as the others stood and laughed, so they rarely did that. The creatures he was watching were a bit smaller than humans and greatly resembled dogs that stood on their hind legs, though the armour and weapons took away most of that similarity

            Kobolds really are quite pointless he thought as another took a bite out of a small lump of clay and spent two minutes coughing it out while its friends rolled with laughter. One of the creatures suddenly seemed to get very excited at whatever it had found congratulations, you've found a rock…wait a minute… one of the others had just hit the rock in question with a sword, producing a metallic ring that could only mean one thing: they've found some adamantite…. As he watched, the others gathered round and began grabbing other chunks of it and putting them into bags, but at the moment, something else held his attention… "Took your time getting here, friend" he said without turning to look behind him

            "We circled around from the other side while looking for you" replied Harbreth as he drew next to his friend. They didn't have to lower their voices much as the kobolds were making so much noise, they wouldn't hear the two friends

            "We can't let them have the adamantite. What do you reckon: four for me, four for you, one for the forest and one to question?"

            "Sounds good" replied Harbreth as his wolf growled in agreement and the stag bowed its horns

Gillian drew an arrow from his quiver and knocked the arrow in his bow which he held in his trademark, diagonal, angle as he took aim at the kobolds. "Arrow, be true this day" he muttered as he drew back the chord and took one last look at his foe and breathed in, calming himself

As he breathed out, he let his arrow fly…


	3. Chapter 2

As our two groups of friends began their quests, a power was gathering that could have threatened all the lands, but only a select few knew of this power and they were either murdered for their knowledge or were part of this cult - this gathering darkness. Only the efforts of those we already know of and the efforts of others who have yet to begin their quest could stand against this darkness, but none yet suspected the parts they would play in this tale

                As for the darkness, it is about to receive some bad news…

"What do you mean 'lost the link'?" He asked, his voice calm and level. He didn't turn from the window to look at who he addressed

            "The vessel has lost its link with the leader of the team. The runes linking them have gone cold. The only possibility is that someone has killed the leader"

            "Brutus, arm 5 of your best Minotaur Berserkers and send them after the Kobolds in The High Forest. I want you to lead them. Either you return with the Adamantite, or you do not return. I trust I will be seeing you again, soon"

            "At once, my lord" grunted Brutus as he turned and thumped down the stairs outside the doorway

            "Runecaster, are you ready yet?" he said, finally turning to regard the men stood behind him

            "I am, my lord. All I need are the final materials and I can finish the final runes" replied the man with white, wild hair and white stubble where he hadn't shaved in a few days, barring two sigils that had been shaven into his beard that morning. In his right hand was his hammer – he seemed to always have it on him – and his left held a metal spike that he used to scribe the magic runes into the materials and gave him the title 'Runecaster'

            "While you are waiting, use the vessel on another kobold. It is useful to keep an eye on them. I will leave the choice of the new team leader to your capable hands"

            "Thank you my lord, I shall begin immediately" he replied as he shambled out of the room and down the stairs

            "The glorified bull and the magic artisan are now out of ear-shot, my lord. What would you wish of me?" asked the final man left in the room. He wore the red and black robes of his order and shaven head with a stylised beast tattooed to his shaven head and he leaned upon a sceptre with a similar design as it's head. His cold, uncaring, dark eyes stared at the man stood in the window with a feel of malevolence

            "You failed me"

            The wizard was suddenly, visibly, taken-a-back "My lord? In what way?"

            "You told me that the forest was safe yet something has killed my kobold. I would not be surprised to learn that the entire team is at this moment lying dead in the forest"

            "My lord, the only things in there are druids, rangers and beasts. Your kobolds should have defeated them with no trouble whatsoever" he replied, clearly growing more nervous

            "One of my beasts is dead. That is unacceptable. You have failed me" he continued, his voice still calm. "Your life is now forfeit"

            "I will NOT be defeated by YOU, old man!" roared the Red Wizard, his staff flying into his hand, pointed at the old man in the window. The air began heating as the wizard immediately charged his staff with fire magic and as a massive fireball leapt from the end of the staff, the old man in the window simply raised a hand in response. The fire roared towards him, threatening to consume him, whole, but simply vanished

            "Now you will know but a shred of _my_ power, fool"

In the circular courtyard, below, within the walls that surround the tower, the 6 Minotaur roared as one as there was an enormous explosion from the top of the tower, but before Brutus could run to his masters aid, a red-robed figure was blasted out of one of the windows and, accompanied by another explosion. The figure flew for miles before finally hitting the ground, below

Up in the tower, the old man, none-the-worse for his encounter, simply turned back to the east window and looked out over the forgotten realms towards the far-off shore, beyond the horizon

I suppose I'll have to send for a replacement wizard. That fool had better send me a decent one this time or I shall have to depose him as head of the order and I really don't want to have to cross the world to Thay – it is such a boring place


End file.
